Douglas County to pay cost for voters seeking birth records

County will help those who can't afford the search fee

LAWRENCE — Douglas County will pay for copies of birth certificates for some voters needing to document their U.S. citizenship if they cannot afford to obtain the records needed for registration.

The Lawrence Journal-World (http://bit.ly/1zqhWW9 ) said Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew announced the policy Wednesday. Shew said he’s addressing what he called an unfairness created by a state law requiring new voters to prove their citizenship.

The law says people born in Kansas are eligible for free copies of their birth certificates. Voters born outside the state must pay between $10 and $60.

Shew said his office will cover the cost for such voters if they can’t afford it. He said his office’s current budget can cover the cost. So far, it’s identified about five people who’d be helped by the policy.

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So very typical of libs and the Lawrence lib environment. Oh, the martyrs that they are. Let's see, in order to raise awareness and sympathy for ALL those folks so deprived of their right to vote, as they claim, by KOCH, Brownback and the Republicans, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew has announced he has authorized his office to pay for those who cannot afford to obtain their birth certificates outside the state of Kansas (since Kansas provides FREE copies of birth certificates for anyone who cannot afford the fee). And, to date, there are exactly FIVE people who will benefit from Shew's declarative proclamation. FIVE who need out of state birth certificates and cannot pay the fee. No wonder Shew's office has the money to afford to pay such a generous policy. LOL.

Meanwhile more that 18,000 Kansas voters remain suspended. That is more than enough voter disenfranchisement to tip the balance of a close election.

Statewide, more than 18,000 voter registrations have been suspended. The Kobach crowd has consumed the idea that the need to protect the public from a nonexistent threat of voter fraud is worth jeopardizing for 18,000 Kansans one of the most basic and fundamental rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution. And somehow, they think that misguided notion makes them more patriotic and more American than those who seek to expand, rather than restrict, the right of Kansans to vote in open and public elections.

Send Kobach back to his Douglas County luxury barn. Vote for Scott Morgan, a rational candidate for Kansas Secretary of State, in the August 5th primary election.

Mysterious "poor" voters are always getting the shaft! Obama has been King now for 5-6 years, and still all we hear about are all of the "poor" voters that keep getting the shaft, at ANY MENTION OF PERSONAL RESPONSABILITY!
I wonder if Lawrence is going to make sure that the " poor" voters have plenty of gas in their car, a full breakfast, luch and dinner, and a pack of smokes?

Maybe if Obummer did something about $3.50 per gallon gas, those same poor voters would have $5-60 to pay for their BC!!!

Nobody paid for my birth certificate. I worked on an oil rig in the derrick with one day off in 2 years. I stood up there in the freezing rain, sleet, and snow for hours on end. I paid my bills and did not free load off the general population. I guess that's out of style these days. Everyone wants things given to them and what is worse they feel like it's owed to them. Get a job folks. Midland, Texas and North Dakota are hiring as many people as they can possible get to work. Take a bus there and get a job.

Chg103 wrote in part on 7/10/14 at 09:36 am
"Those
Mysterious "poor" voters are always getting the shaft! ...
Maybe if Obummer did something about $3.50 per gallon
gas, those same poor voters would have $5-60 to pay for
their BC!!!"

Gas prices are controlled by big oil company profits and the international market.
What does Chg103 expect Obama to do - nationalize the petroleum industry?

That $5-60 to pay for birth certificates - plus more for any marriage license(s) or 'file stamped' divorce decrees for women due to name changes - amount to illegal poll taxes that the poor voters may not be able to afford. My twice widowed mother - if she were new to Kansas - would need a copy of an out-of-state birth certificate, a copy of an out-of-state marriage license, plus a copy of a Kansas marriage license just to register to vote - in her situation that would be nearly $150 for those documents and she lives on just her Social Security widow's pension.

Chg103 states opinions that are emblematic of the great chasm between poor people and the middle and upper classes - a clear lack of understanding of budgets with absolutely NO wriggle room.

just come flooding in. Doesn't matter that surrounding states are doing better then us, the trickle down, or is it tinkle down theory always works , yeah right. And whats the worst the Brownbacks policies can do (other then hurt education, hurt infrastructure, make rich richer, make poor poorer- even throw poor kids out on the street).

Why do you care what Douglas County does for its residents? If they saw a need and fulfilled it, what is it to you? Last time I checked Shawnee county residents don't pay for services in Douglas county.

A couple weeks ago, I was headed to North Topeka and was driving down Kansas Avenue. When I went past the "Let's Help" building I noticed quite a few able bodied looking individuals lingering around the building and under the bridge smoking cigarettes. Then when I went past the Salvation Army Rescue Mission on the south side of the building I noticed 10-12 able bodied looking people smoking cigarettes. The last I knew, cigarettes cost $5.00 plus. Are the citizens of Topeka funding their cigarette addiction problem? If these folks are in the group that need a birth certificate costing $5.00 maybe they could lay off the smokes for a day to pay for their BC. However, in all fairness if the State is going to require a BC to register to vote then the document should be free to everyone. Topeka_Resident is correct, retired folks living on earned social security cannot afford extra expenses no matter how small the cost. Social Security recipients have received dreadful benefit increased the past several years.

The point is that there are FIVE who meet the need. FIVE. After all the whining, protesting, angry rants and hate-filled tirades the libs have spewed for months upon months about all the poor and needy people who cannot vote because they cannot afford an out of state birth certificate in order to get a flipping ID card, there are FIVE that fit that bill in all of Douglas county. It just can't be explained more clearly. Maybe you need to re-read my first post again, but it seems to be pretty clear.

I believe we have been down this road before, smejayhawk1. To my knowledge, please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe CJ offers this forum as a public forum. I also am pretty sure no one has appointed any of us to dictate who can and who cannot post their opinion on this forum. However, if you desire, I will ask them if I need your permission to comment on any subject I desire or if I am supposed to obtain your permission. Normally, I ignore your personally directed attacks on me; but, now and again, I tire of it and speak up. It seems rather childish to engage in personal put-downs rather than to discuss or express opinions and facts. And, by the way, a rhyme is supposed to, well, you know, 'rhyme'...

I did read your comment, perfectly fine. Again, why do you care what Douglas county provides for its residents? Does it affect you, or is it just an opportunity to raise a stink about something that one county, that you obviously don't like, decided was a fitting service to provide for ITS residents, whether it be 5 or 5,000?

If you wanted to know and understand why someone is doing something, why don't you ask that person? Some disabilities are not physical and what if their smokes are purchased by a kind donation? What, exactly, were you driving and aren't they gas guzzlers? And are you able-bodied and available to work any old job--no matter the skills or education requirements? I think the folks passing you on the streets are more open-minded about you than you are about them--just saying.

You claim to be a social worker but few of your post ever show concern for the people you would be working with. I think you are a plant, paid by the Conservatives to try to make it look like all Libs are stupid liars. Just look at the words you choose. You wrote "typical libs" thereby putting all Libs in an unfavorable light. Then you slam "the Lawrence lib environment" and call them "martyrs that they are". It was not enough to call them martyrs you had to slap on "that they are". (Just your opinion though.) Next you complain the Douglas County Clerk was not trying to help the poor people in his county but was trying to "raise awareness and sympathy for all those folks so deprived of their right to vote, as they claim". Thereby calling Libs liars because you do not see how the state law prevents people from voting. Also by stating that you are saying the Clerk is a liar and manipulator. Next you manipulate the number of people the Clerk would pay the cost of BCs for. The above story says "right now there are five". How many will come forth once they find out the county will pay is unknown. Finally, once again you claim the state will give BCs to those who cannot pay for them. Funny. No one else ever claims this to be true. I believe if this was true CJ would give mention of it in any story concerning the election law in question. kalaks give more details on how people get a free BC. Yes, you are free to comment. But many of us are tired of your put down negative, belittling comments. Least you forget. I am a social worker with 30 plus years experience. Most social workers work with poor people. By doing this we come to know why poor people are poor people. It very seldom is because they are lazy no good people expecting others to take care of their wants and needs. Your comments do not support your statements that you too are a social worker.

The chamber was in confusion - all the voices shouting loud.
I could only just hear, a voice quite near say, "Please help me through the crowd:"
I said if I helped her thru' she could help me too, but I could see that she wholly blind.
But from her pale face and her pale skin, a moonlight shined.

Lilywhite Lilith,
She gonna take you thru' the tunnel of night
Lilywhite Lilith,
She gonna lead you right.

When I'd led her through the people, the angry noise began to grow.
She said, "Let me feel the way the breezes blow, and I'll show you where to go."
So I followed her into a big round cave, she said, "They're coming for you, now don't be afraid."
Then she sat me down on a cold stone throne, carved in jade.

Lilywhite Lilith,
She gonna take you thru' the tunnel of night
Lilywhite Lilith,
She gonna lead you right.

She leaves me in my darkness,
I have to face, face my fear,
And the darkness closes in on me,
I can hear a whirring sound growing near.
I can see the corner of the tunnel,
Lit up by whatever's coming here.
Two golden globes float into the room
And a blaze of white light fills the air.

First, Pkinnett, you have ranted yet another one of your rambling personal tirades about me and doing so while chastising your 'interpretation' of my comments. All the while doing so while trying to cast me in a bad light as a social worker. Pkinnett, you are a hoot. Now, Pkinnett, you have too read very compassionate comments I have posted on multiple different occasions and all of those are readily accessible for anyone to read.

Now, Pkinnett, you wrote, "Finally, once again you claim the state will give BCs to those who cannot pay for them. Funny. No one else ever claims this to be true. I believe if this was true CJ would give mention of it in any story concerning the election law in question. kalaks give more details on how people get a free BC."

Oops! Pkinnett, you did it again, it appears you may not have read the article or maybe did not understand the Associated Press article (not CJ) as it clearly states, "The law says people born in Kansas are eligible for free copies of their birth certificates". Furthermore, you might want to re-read my initial comments as I also clearly stated that Shew "authorized his office to pay for those who cannot afford to obtain their birth certificates outside the state of Kansas (since Kansas provides FREE copies of birth certificates for anyone who cannot afford the fee)". And, in response to your request, I will provide you with, as you asked, " more details on how people get a free BC".

Finally, Pkinnett, your over-analysis of my very simple comments, while entertaining, appear to contain much of your own projections, again, but I can assure you it does not reflect my true sentiments. I have re-read my comments and fail to see where I have personally attacked anyone with insulting language at all. Maybe trying to simply read without projecting your own preconceived notions into another's written opinion would produce more reality-based results.

And, smejhawk1, you are rather philosophically aesthetic today which I find much more attractive than your usual brand of audacious sanctimony.

You know that brick wall that you might as well be banging your head against as to try to get these people to try to understand some "uncommon" sense? These people do not want to understand what you are telling them because that would mean that they would have to understand responsibility and maturity and all of the people they are defending would have to also understand those characteristics. To understand those concepts makes it completely too difficult to be a good "Liberal". Understanding what it takes to be responsible and mature takes away all of that "warm fuzzy feeling" they get from standing up for the unfortunate ones who are not as smart as they.